~ Video Game (& Ephemera) Conversations

Early Thoughts on DAI

I wasted a good half hour getting my character looking just so, then, in game light, she wasn’t, so I redid it for another 20 minutes, so a good amount of time was tweaking noses and eyes. So I didn’t get all that much slaying in, and no wooing at all (though that seeker Cassandra has a little glint in her eye, I tell you). Without anything spoilery, I will plant these seeds in the blog mind:

It looks really, really good.

Music. Remember when we talked on music in TLOU? There’s gonna be stuff to say. Keep your ears open.

I was thinking, MAN this is SOOO much better with a controller, until I opened the “tactical camera,” at which point I’ve never missed my ex more.

[Later, while Feminina struggles with the Dragon Age Keep in hopes of using her saved world-state]

Ok, finished the prologue. I shan’t spoil, but here’s a KEY controls tip that the game totally failed to tell you about and I found completely by accident cuz, as you know, as a PC dude, I mash the right stick:

You’re gonna find, right off the bat, that there’s a lot of detail in terms of graphics. This is good cuz it’s pretty. This is bad, because that means that it’s WAY more difficult to see the lootable/usable shit. That is, if you’re just looking.

BUT if you push R3 (that is the right stick down, of course) it searches. A ring goes whoosh for a certain distance, highlighting any good stuff in said ring, and even making a dingy sound if there’s something IN the ring, thus saving you from looking about if there’s nothing there at all.

Push this button frequently. You’ll be glad you did.

(By the way, they completely hooped this from The Witcher, where Geralt’s amulet does exactly the same thing, but that’s cool, cuz it’s a nice feature. It’ll get you ready to tap that amulet every five seconds, which is also a good idea in a Witcher game.)

Also, when looting, be pretty close. X is used to both loot and jump, and there’ve already been a couple of times that my companions (you get a few pretty darn quick) must think I’m jumping for joy over that 37 gold.

Feminina:

“37 gold?! Woo hoo! Now I can afford buttons for the pants I want to make!”

Companions see a lot of weird things. Their tell-all book will sell millions.

[Later, in response to a terse query about character class/race/gender]

rogue/qunari/female

I thought it might add an interesting political/theological dynamic if a qunari (mostly known for representing a religion, the qun) was the possible herald of Andraste or whatever.

I don’t know if they’ll do anything with that, but it can be a story dimension in my head. So I’m a tall, yellow-eyed woman with big horns (duel-wielding rogue), and it’s the best! Or at least, it’s been fine so far.

If I figure out how, I’ll send you a screencap of my magnificent horns.

Butch:

Are the horns customizable? Cuz that would be awesome.

Feminina:

You can pick from several different horn options during character creation: long, short, curved, straight, smooth, ridged…even no horns at all (I guess that’s how they explain Sten). No information is provided on whether or not which kinds of horns one has, or whether one has horns at all, is related to ones status or perceived attractiveness in qunari society. But it’s got to mean something.

I mean, I have awesome bigass horns on my head. You’re telling me that this is a completely neutral state compared to someone with smaller horns, or bigger horns, or smoother or curlier horns, or without any horns at all?

Well, perhaps among the qunari it is, since they’re all about the qun and every individual being merely a single drop of blood in the qun’s veins and stuff. I bet the qun all started as a way to keep people from feeling jealous of each others’ horns, though.

Butch:

Nice! None of that weird slider stuff? Took me FOREVER to figure that out. And then there was much turning of the camera, etc.

Feminina:

The sliders were a little confusing at first. And the makeup wheel? Man, I just gave up on that after a couple of minutes, meaning I ended up with some kind of weird makeup that in the cold light of day is just strange–but I figure I can get away with weird makeup because I’m a giant foreigner and so forth. I’m going to stand out in a crowd anyway, might as well play it up, right?

Butch:

Yeah, that’s another reason for the redo. 1st version of me looked like something out of the Rocky Horror Picture show. New me is very understated with the make up.

Feminina:

You’re not kidding about the level of detail being distracting, though. I almost lost a fight because I couldn’t find my own fallen body to revive myself (running around as Cassandra) so I could deal with a rift–I just couldn’t see myself against the amazingly detailed ground I was lying on! I need a ‘locate self’ button.

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About Feminina O'Ladybrain

As a woman, Feminina O'Ladybrain loves skimpy armor, the Smurfette Principle, and being rescued. She also enjoys setting things on fire, and is unusually fond of shotguns.
She likes lady games, such as 'Lady: The Game,' but since that doesn't exist, she plays a lot of series, like 'Dragon Age,' 'Mass Effect,' and 'Assassin's Creed.'